Claire Sullivan’s presence in the Gilded Balloon is immediately mesmerizing. Wrapped in a duvet at the back of the small venue she directs the audience to the front, only to get the most of this interactive multimedia chaos.
With three costume changes in three minutes, I was wiping the sweat off my brow just watching her. I strapped myself in and prepared for the wild ride that was about to happen.
I wish I owned a Hotel for Dogs has no absence of dog material, with Claire intermittently returning to the “2018 dog show” where she portrays the stereotypes of varied breeds of dogs. Never in my life have I seen a more realistic pug impression. Claire continues her show breaking into random absurdist short sketches.
I Wish I owned a Hotel for Dogs is feminist comedy without needing to say it. With her I Am Women song and Blood of the Month awards sketch, Claire takes control of her own body and emits an honest pride for it. Drawing on toxic masculinity she creates a clever sketch where dads compete for the titles of No.1 dad. Claire disbands the mic a couple of times throughout the show, intentional or not, it worked. With fantastic projection and wacky antics, there’s no way you can become distracted by anything else in the room.
Serious about props, there are a few instances where you can expect to be hit in the face by a packet of jellies or a paper plate. This will be over in the blink of an eye and Claire will return to one of her many very very short stories.
Like a Sim left on free will, you never know what Claire is going to do next. My favourite moments being her “How Did You Die?” Game show and her impressions on what she thought of the rich and what they are actually like.
Not everyone in the audience understood this show of mayhem and madness but I appreciated the non-linear structure and element of surprise that Claire impacts upon the audience.
For possibly one of the weirdest shows this fringe, I Wish I owned a Hotel for Dogs will be appreciated by anyone with a short attention span and feminist outlook. Incredibly creative and surprisingly proficient this Melbourne based comic will leave you thinking about this show long after it’s over.
★★★
I wish I owned a Hotel for dogs is on at The Balcony at The Gilded Balloon at 22:15. For tickets and more information click here!
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